Christmas Time 2011

This year Christmastime seemed to go by so quickly.  We had set up our Christmas tree for the kids upstairs with my parents for a family home evening when they were here so that was done pretty soon in the season. 

Our big project was to get the front two rooms re-painted.  Jared was very sweet and helped me clean the rooms from all the things we got from Grandma and then he helped me prep and paint the walls for about four or five days.  After that, we set up the the tree downstairs. 

We had some lovely evenings just sitting by the tree and reading as a family.  I really reveled in the just “Being” with my little family.  I guess that’s why it went so fast and I didn’t even get to all of “extra” things I probably should have done.  Sorry about the lack of a Christmas card this year…we all got the stomach flu the week Christian got on Winter break and all of my plans for last-minute Christmas doings went pretty much out the proverbial window.  Other than that little glitch in our plans, the weeks leading up to Christmas were lovely. 

On Saturday the 10th we went and saw Santa at the Mall.  I love this Santa.  He has such a handsome look about him.  Vivian was not happy when I set her on this mans lap and tried to get her to smile.  It wasn’t until I picked her up that she burst into tears though and wouldn’t let me go for quite a while.  I think we traumatized her though because every time Santa was mentioned after that she would stay “Santa.  Bum.”  And point at her bum to tell you that she had sat on his lap.  It was kind of funny until she had to tell everyone at the store who asked her about Santa all about her bum. 

I was asked by Christian’s Kindergarten teacher to make a giant Gingerbread man that they would “hunt” around the school for.  I made two, one out of dough that they put in the oven of the teachers lounge and then a swap-out.  Christian didn’t have any idea I was going to do this for his class.  When he came home from school that day he kept asking me “How did you make a magic Gingerbread man that dressed itself?”  It was very satisfying to have him so thrilled about my skills.

   

I really especially like how I did the eyes because I have a thing about feeling like eyes should have whites in them.  So I cut the end off of a small marshmallow and colored the rest with edible markers to look like eyes.  They’re not perfect but I think it gives it a more whimsical life-like look.  Jared was a huge help to me that night to get everything done when Christian wouldn’t be aware of what we were doing.  (like the shirt Jared has pulled out of hiding?  This is from when Jared went to visit BYU-I-do to decide if he wanted to go.  It reminds me of the time I dabbled with the idea of going to BYU Idaho myself which makes me wonder if we had both decided to go there if we would have met there instead of at SLCC…. questions I may wonder forever).

The day after the Giant gingerbread man, I held a recital for my music students.  I have 13 students in all if you count Christian who was practicing his pieces daily so that I would let him be in the recital.  The day of the recital I had a brain-storm that I should make ornaments for the kids to take home since my order that I had made to reward them for their progress has never shown up.  So I made ornaments of each kids’ initial and stamped them with treble and bass clef stamps I’ve had forever.  The kids were very excited to their ornament home after the recital (though I’m not to sure how happy the moms were).  Here’s a photo of my tree covered with the letters that represent my students.

Here’s Christian playing his pieces.

He’s such a handsome little guy.  I was so proud of him for being motivated enough to practice because I really just left it up to him.  I don’t  want him to feel like I’ve pressured him into playing the piano so I end up playing the devils advocate a lot of the time.

Here is a photo of the thirteen kids I teach.  They are all such a joy to teach.  I really enjoy working with all of them.  They are all progressing so quickly it’s delightful to me.

The day after the recital was the last day of Advent (how did this happen so fast?).  As well as our friends’ son’s missionary farewell talk.  They gave the kids both Christmas pj’s so when Vivian wanted to wear hers for Advent and story time that night I decided I should pull out the camera.

This is Vivian’s most favorite book of all.  It’s the Little People Christmas book and she wants to look at it daily.  Some of these are random (like Christian’s evil look below) but they show how funny the kids’ personalities are so I just had to share.